Strange Reactions
by Lila Toretto Barton
Summary: 3rd in the Coulson/Stark AU Series. Team finds out about Phil and Tony. Steve has a few choice words along with a few choice actions but not everything is as it seems with the good Captain. Hurt Tony; Protective Natasha, Clint, and Phil.
1. Chapter 1

**Summary: **3rd in the Coulson/Stark AU Series. Team finds out about Phil and Tony. Steve has a few choice words along with a few choice actions but not everything is as it seems with the good Captain. Protective Natasha, Clint, and Phil.

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**Chapter One**

Phil and Tony knew that their relationship was going to come out sooner or later. After all they lived in a mansion with a demi-god, a super solider, and a scientist with breathtaking anger management issues. Luckily for them they had Natasha and Clint on their side when things did come out and when Thor stormed into their room one day, because he did not know personal boundaries, he caught them kissing and then proceeded to run out of the room announcing it at the top of his lungs. Phil and Tony shared a look because this is not how they wanted the rest of team to find out. They came upon the scene in the sitting room where the rest of the Avengers were with Thor yelling out proudly.

"Friends I have joyous news! The Man of Iron and Son of Coul are courting!" his voice boomed out and the rest of the Avengers had different looks on their faces.

Natasha and Clint moved closer to them because they already knew and realized by the look on Tony's face and the way Phil was holding the bridge of his nose that it wasn't how they planned to tell everyone about it. Bruce was shocked but after a little bit he smiled and seemed to just accept it. The problem though was the good Captain, whose face held a look of anger and he stepped past Thor towards Phil and Tony.

"You two are together?" Steve asked venom in his voice causing Phil to look up and Clint and Natasha to rise up on their haunches in suspicion.

"Yes Captain we are," Phil answered.

"Please tell me you're joking. Phil, Tony doesn't do relationships at all. He's a playboy who has slept with more women and probably men than you could count. He'll just cheat on you then break your heart," Steve said trying to show concern but it just pissed Phil off even more.

Tony hearing his words put a mask in place because it hurt to hear Steve say that about him. It also just made him angry and reminded him a little bit of his father, who ruined everything and everyone that made Tony happy. Tony wasn't going to let Steve take Phil away from him.

"I may have slept around but after Afghanistan I stopped that. Also when I was with Pepper I never once cheated. We broke up because I wasn't in love with her," Tony coldly and Phil was saddened because someone that was supposed to be Tony's friend was making him feel worthless.

No one saw it coming least of all Tony but the next thing he knew Tony had taken his head in his hands and threw him head first against a wall. Tony heard a crack and felt pain erupt and his head felt like it was about to explode. He put his hand to his head and pulled it back to find it wet with blood. Bruce came up to him, his eyes green holding the Hulk back, and the doctor moved Tony to his back and the pain was enough to cause him to whimper. Natasha was there in an instant rubbing her hand up and down his arm to calm him down because she knew that talking would probably make it worse. Natasha may not have liked Tony at first but she did now and thought of him as a brother. As she comforted him she thought of ways to kill Steve slowly and painfully. Tony want Phil because his boyfriend made everything better and let out a whimper which Natasha must have understood because she motioned behind her and Phil came over to kneel beside Natasha. Seeing him was enough to calm Tony down and the genius closed his eyes letting blackness envelope him.

The second Steve touched Tony Phil moved but he was too late because his ex-childhood hero had thrown his boyfriend head first into the wall. Phil heard the crack and knew something had broken and all the agent saw was red. He punched Steve and would have continued to do so had Clint not pulled him back. He calmed down when he saw Thor hold Steve prisoner with Mjolnir. Clint must have felt that Phil had calmed down somewhat and let him go. The agent turned to thank the archer and saw Clint shake his head in understanding which was enough for them both. Phil made his way over to Tony quickly and saw Natasha motion him closer. Phil kneeled next to her by Tony's head and pulled up a mask because if he didn't he would potentially kill Steve. There was so much blood that Phil thought Tony was dead but the glowing blue light reassured him otherwise. Tony had lost consciousness and they needed to get him to SHIELD to get him help.

The next few hours passed in a blur for Phil. Natasha had flown one of the jets to the hellicarrier while Clint took another one with Thor to escort Steve into custody. All Phil knew was that Captain America was no longer his childhood hero and he didn't care what Fury said Steve would pay. Tony was taken into surgery because there was internal bleeding in his brain and Phil collapsed into a heap on the floor. Natasha and Bruce caught him, letting the agent sob in their arms, both knowing that if the situation had been reversed and Steve had done it to Clint, Bruce would have been a mess even more so then Natasha. When Phil couldn't cry anymore he was frozen in place not able to move. Fear ran through his veins about how he would survive if Tony didn't make it. Truth was he didn't know if he would be able to. Natasha moved him to a chair and both she and Bruce sat down on opposite sides of him with him gripping their hands. An hour into the surgery boots clambered down the hallway and Phil looked to find Fury arrive with Thor and Clint behind him.

"Coulson you want to explain to me why the hell Captain America is locked up in the strongest cage we have and Stark is in surgery," Fury demanded angry.

Phil was afraid he would have to respond and when he opened his mouth to his throat felt dry and tears threatened to escape. Natasha squeezed his hand as if signally that she would take care of it and then looked at the director.

"Stark and Coulson have been dating for three months director and before today only I and Agent Barton knew of their relationship. Coulson was courting Stark if that is what you would call it and today Thor walked in on them making out and outed them to the rest of the team. Steve didn't like that and tried to bring up Stark's past to get Phil to break up with him. That didn't work and then Tony claimed that he wouldn't cheat on Phil and the good Captain grabbed him by the head and threw him into a wall for no reason that is justifiable to me or anyone else here," Natasha finished with a silent threat to Fury that Steve needed to be punished.

Fury couldn't believe the way his day was turning out. When he found out about Coulson and Stark's relationship he wasn't really surprised but finding out that Captain America tried to kill Stark was surprising and he needed to get to the bottom of this.

"Thor look him over and find out what the hell is going on. I want to know if he was under a spell of some kind and after that we'll go from there," Fury ordered Thor who bowed slightly before leaving to work on that.

Fury looked at his best friend and he looked devasted. The director walked over and put a hand on Phil's shoulder, squeezing it. Neither said anything but both knew that nothing needed to be said further. Fury sent up a silent prayer that Stark made it because if he didn't he would lose his one good eye, again.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary: **Thor discovers that the man that attacked Tony is not actually Steve and now a mystery begins. Meanwhile Phil keeps vigil over Tony and remembers little moments between them.

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**Mysteries and Vigils **

Thor came upon the room holding the good Captain prisoner but he stayed outside. Luckily for him the magic used to detect what the good director of SHIELD wanted was simply enough for him to use and if it got anymore complicated for him then he would have to send for someone. Taking a calming breath Thor held onto Mjolnir and felt power run through him as he scanned the man that was supposed to be his brother in arms. At first he almost didn't see it but then finally he saw what was really wrong. The man that attacked the Man of Iron was not the good Captain, it was a clone of some kind but he had magical signatures around him. Quickly Thor made his way to the Director to solve the mystery of what really happened to the Captain and who was behind this.

Phil looked at Tony so fragile in the bed hooked up to machines with his head bandaged and he lost it. He carefully stumbled into the bed, curling around the genius, and proceeded to lose it. Tony's body felt cold to the touch making everything worse for Phil because Tony wasn't supposed to be cold, he was supposed to be warm and covered in oil not clean and filled with bandages. Closing his eyes Phil remembered their first actual date before Tony had pulled his stalking incident.

"_Tony I don't know why you insisted on planning our first date when I was the one that asked you out and despite still healing I am perfectly capable of planning one date," Phil said exasperated at the genius who had dragged him to a private theater lighted by candles and a romantic comedy._

"_Well sorry for wanting you to actually fully heal before undertaking to many things at once," Tony stated sarcastically but Phil heard the slight hurt and worry in his voice._

"_Tony I'm sorry okay. You didn't deserve that I just get frustrated sometimes with not being able to do anything but paperwork. Despite what people think I am not just some drone that only does paperwork and only cares about paperwork. I like making a difference and contributing to saving the world but it's not your fault that you worry and I get that thinking I was dead affected you I'm just asking you to back off just a little bit for me. I don't mean back off completely because you would not be the man you are if you did but at least let me plan a date for you next time," Coulson finished cupping the genius' face in his hands._

"_I know and I'm sorry I get that you like work especially working in the field I just worry okay and sometimes I take control and go overboard but for you I will try to tone it down but sometimes it's hard because I think so many different things at one time and my brain doesn't stop unless drastic measures are taken but I swear I'll try to stop," Tony rambled and Coulson smiled because he loved Tony as he was._

"_I'm not asking you to change just for you to at least let me plan a date," Coulson said kissing him lightly on the lips. _

_Tony nodded his head and after making out for a brief moment the couple watched a movie marathon of Lord of the Rings trilogy where Tony argued over every simple thing and even went as far as comparing Clint to Legolas. Coulson found himself not even wanting to listen to the story but instead listen to his boyfriend ramble on because it was so far one of the most endearing things he had seen. _

Phil jumped when a hand fell on his shoulder and he turned his head to see Natasha standing by the side of the bed with a sad smile on her face. When Phil had heard about the support Natasha had for him dating Tony he almost didn't believe it because Natasha had previously made it known how much she hated Tony but she then argued that Tony was a changed man. Phil turned his head to bury it in Tony's neck and Natasha pulled up a chair to keep watch over them with a hand still on his shoulder.

Meanwhile outside Bruce sat outside of the room with his eyes close trying to calm himself down but it was hard because he kept imagining if it was Clint and him that had come out today and what would have happened and it made everything worse for him. He felt someone sit down next to him and wrap their arms around him and Bruce knew it was Clint and both knew that even if the Hulk came out that he wouldn't hurt the archer because the archer was their "mate" as the Other Guy had said and they weren't letting him go. Finally calming himself Bruce opened his eyes and turned kissing Clint with everything he had.

"We'll figure this out," Clint promised.

Bruce sighed as Clint laid his head on his shoulder and ran a hand through the sandy blonde hair. Together they would figure out what was going on with Steve and be there for Coulson and Tony to deal with the aftermath. Together their family would survive no matter what anybody had planned they would beat the odds they always did.


End file.
